Hundreds of women, mostly doctors and bankers showed up at Britain’s most valued Royal Ascot race meeting, in traditional sarees, Thursday. Interestingly, Royal Ascot has long been associated with sartorial excellence and elegance and the dress code is firmly tied into this belief. The event is considered one of the highlights of the fashion calendar. This year, however, the dress code did not reflect the tradition and history of Royal Ascot. The “Ladies Day” chose to celebrate the saree instead. This event is often attended by the Queen who recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. Royal Ascot is traditionally held over five days, Tuesday through Saturday, around mid-June.
The saree-clad women of Indian origin displayed their culture on a global platform of fashion to highlight the condition of Indian weavers, particularly after the pandemic. The nine-yard was featured in a variety of themes, ranging from health workers to hijab. The diversity of Indian states was at full display at Britain’s Ascot, an event where the most fashionable people of the world meet.
Sanchita Bhattacharya, a media professional, wore a Madhubani hand-crafted silk saree that featured the Pandavas and Krishna from the epic Mahabharat. Chinu Kishore, a civil engineer at British Railways wore a mekhala sador, an Assamese traditional weave, to represent her North Eastern state on a global platform.
“Being London born and bred, and to be in a country that celebrates diversity like this, is not something I take lightly,” one woman dressed in a sari at Royal Ascot said. Each saree at the Ascot today had a story to tell. “We are here to represent two things: diversity and inclusion,” added NRI Rina Dutta.
The saree show was a brainchild of NHS Doctor Dipti Jain. “We are saree-loving girls and the idea came up after setting up a charity to help artisans and weavers, especially after the pandemic in India,” said Ms Jain. Among famous faces were Robert Rinder, Charlotte Hawkins and Lady Victoria Hervey. The Queen, however opted out, presumably because of the pandemic.
In 2021, the event was capped at 12,000 spectators per day due to Covid curbs, and it was held without any spectators the year before that.
Also Read: Rishi And Akshata Sunak In UK’s ‘Super-Rich’ List
